The Duskbloods is one of the most peculiar Switch 2 exclusives that Nintendo has waiting in the pipeline. The project marks the first time since the early 2000s that FromSoftware has made a game exclusively for a Nintendo console. FromSoftware games have built an incredibly strong reputation, and locking The Duskbloods with Nintendo’s ecosystem is a bold move from both parties.
After releasing games like Elden Ring and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, I and many others didn’t exactly expect FromSoftware’s next project to be a Nintendo0only affair. That alone is shocking enough, but the developer threw another curveball at gamers when the studio confirmed that the project is focused on multiplayer. Elden Ring Nightreign is proof that FromSoftware can do multiplayer, but it still isn’t the developer’s expertise. Nintendo risks a lot with The Duskbloods, and an unlikely source could be getting the company’s hopes too high: PlayStation.
Bloodborne Is Still Drawing Strong Sales for PlayStation, Which Could Give Nintendo Misguided Expectations
What titles are considered the best FromSoftware games are going to vary from person to person, but a lot of the developer’s fans see Bloodborne as one of the studio’s greatest achievements. A recent report from Rhys Elliott at Alinea Analytics revealed that Bloodborne has still managed to sell an estimated 250,000 in just this year alone. That’s wildly impressive for a game that turned 11 years old in 2026, and it speaks to just how beloved Bloodborne really is. There aren’t many games that get to experience those kinds of sales and pop culture relevance over a decade after its debut. As great as that is, it could also be giving Nintendo the wrong idea about what to expect from The Duskbloods‘ long-term performance.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
One of the main details about The Duskbloods that got many excited when it was first announced was that it had similar vibes to Bloodborne. FromSoftware’s multiplayer Nintendo project oozes the same gothic horror aesthetics that helped make Bloodborne such an unforgettable experience. With there being such strong hopes that a Bloodborne sequel will eventually be brought to life in the future, The Duskbloods sounded like the next best thing. Nintendo is likely banking on that, too, but the unfortunate truth is that the road to that kind of success isn’t so simple.
The Duskbloods was originally expected to launch in 2026, but FromSoftware has delayed the project until next year. With Nintendo already having a massive end-of-year exclusive with the Ocarina of Time remake and GTA 6 gearing up to overshadow the next few months, delaying the game until 2027 is the right call.
Sharing a spooky Victorian-inspired world design and guns aren’t enough to convince die-hard Bloodborne fans to give The Duskbloods a try. There are plenty of Bloodborne fans who don’t own a Switch 2, and it would take a very special game to convince people to buy a brand-new system, especially in this never-ending era of rising console prices. If The Duskbloods really was a true spiritual successor to Bloodborne, it could probably convince a lot of people. However, the game’s multiplayer focus quickly squashed many FromSoftware fans’ initial excitement about the project.
Based on early hands-on previews, The Duskbloods gameplay is a smorgasbord of staple FromSoftware features thrust into a PvPvE world. FromSoftware has never shied away from experimenting with its own formula, but The Duskbloods could prove to be too far removed for many of the developer’s longtime fans. Even if The Duskbloods can’t capture the usual FromSoftware fan base, though, there is still a chance for Nintendo to have success with an exclusive that is this bold and risky.
Nintendo Doesn’t Need Bloodborne Fans to Achieve Its Own FromSoftware Success Story
A scenario where The Duskbloods is to Nintendo what Bloodborne is to PlayStation feels unlikely right now, but nothing is impossible. Longtime FromSoftware loyalists might not migrate over to the world of Nintendo, but the Switch 2 already has plenty of users who are passionate about the company’s exclusives, regardless of genre. The Duskbloods is incredibly different from the usual Nintendo staples like The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Metroid, and Donkey Kong. At first, that sounds like a disadvantage, but it can actually work wonders in The Duskbloods‘ favor, because it brings something entirely new to table.
There’s also the added bonus of the recent Elden Ring Switch 2 port. I know that not every gamer sticks to just one console; I certainly don’t. There is a lot of overlap, but there are also plenty of Nintendo fans who had probably never played a FromSoftware game until the Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition came to the console. This has given a lot of users a taste of what FromSoftware games are all about, and that could make The Duskbloods a hit that boasts years’ worth of longevity for Nintendo. Either way, The Duskbloods will be the ultimate test of whether Nintendo and FromSoftware are a partnership that works or not.
- Released
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2027
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
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1-8 players
